Cadmium telluride (CdTe) crystals and epitaxial layers were grown by the vertical Bridgman method and vapor-phase epitaxy, respectively, to obtain the high-resistive material suitable for X- and gamma-ray detectors. The crystals and layers were doped with Ge at the concentration of 5 x 10(17) cm(-3) and co-doped with the rare element Yb at the concentration range from 1 x 10(17) to 1 x 10(19) cm(-3). The CdTe:Ge:Yb samples were studied by the structural and electrical characterization techniques, low-temperature photoluminescence (PL) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectroscopy and CL imaging. Experimental findings testify that homogeneous crystals and layers of reasonably good structural quality can be grown with the Yb concentration below the value of 5 x 10(18)cm(-3) that is estimated to be the limit for Yb solubility in CdTe:Ge:Yb. These findings seem to be related with the purification effect caused by the interaction of the Yb dopant with the group I residual impurities. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.